Social media giant Facebook is engaging a top London-based law firm for advice on how best to handle the Indian market on hot-button issues like data security and privacy.

Facebook is trying to fix several aspects of its data policy in light of the case of information harvesting by voter analytics platform Cambridge Analytica, which emerged recently. The tech major is treating India with caution due to impending state and national elections.

People aware of the matter said the law firm is advising the US-based social media giant on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules in the European Union (EU) as it will have ramifications on how the company treats data privacy issues here in India.

Mumbai’s BTG Legal is the Indian relationship firm for the London-based consultant. The firm works with Facebook and recently opened an office in Bengaluru and plans to set up shop in Delhi. Prashant Mara, a partner at BTG, had worked with the London legal firm for about five years.

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court said foreign lawyers cannot carry out any litigation or nonlitigation work in India on a permanent basis. The ruling came to clarify another one by the Madras high court which allowed foreign lawyers to fly-in and fly-out to advise clients.

A Facebook spokesperson said the company does not use the London law firm for any kind of policy work. The Mumbai-based law firm said, “BTG Legal does not comment on specific client matters concerning any particular or general advice that we provide. Therefore, we cannot respond (even to confirm or deny our role) to your queries.” Another e-mail sent to the spokesperson of the London-based law firm did not elicit any response.

Since the Cambridge Analytica episode hit the headlines, Facebook has said in filings that data of over half a million Indians was leaked as a result of the episode. TOI reported last week that the Indian government may look into Facebook founder's Mark Zuckerberg's response to the US Congress as part of its ongoing enquiry here.

People aware of the goings-on said the local arm of the Menlo Park-based company has been in regular touch with the government machinery assuring them of no further data manipulations of Indian users.

Facebook is also focusing on dealing with fake news--a global phenomenon, in the run up to the elections here. It recently announced it was joining hands with a third-party fact-checking platform --Boom-- in the state of Karnataka which is holding elections next month.